Los Angeles

Golden Boy Promotions founder Oscar De La Hoya revealed Saturday that Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles is the early front-runner to host the highly anticipated fight between Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin on Sept. 16.

According to Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times, De La Hoya said Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Magic Johnson presented him with an offer: "I can't reveal details, but Magic Johnson made a very nice offer. It's a nice package I have to consider. I like the fact that we were both in the '92 Olympics, that we're both L.A. boys, that we're both entrepreneurs and that we're both friends. So, it's very intriguing."

Pugmire reported that pitches are forthcoming from the Dallas area's AT&T Stadium and Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena. De La Hoya also said that London's Wembley Stadium and New York's Madison Square Garden are interested.

The middleweight title bout between Alvarez and GGG was announced immediately following Canelo's dominant, unanimous-decision victory over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on May 6.

Per Pugmire, if Dodger Stadium wins the bid for Alvarez versus Golovkin, it will be the venue's first major boxing match since Davey Moore against Sugar Ramos in 1963.

Both Alvarez and Golovkin train in Southern California, which would make Dodger Stadium a natural fit.

The 26-year-old Canelo is 49-1-1 in his career with his only loss coming to Floyd Mayweather, while the 35-year-old GGG is a perfect 37-0 with 33 knockouts.

Kobe Bryant has enjoyed passing his knowledge to Boston Celtics star Isaiah Thomas during the postseason, paying it forward from the help he received early in his career.

"I was happy to help him," Bryant said, per Jackie MacMullan of ESPN. "He had the courage to ask. I did the same thing with Michael Jordan when I was a young player."

Thomas revealed last week the former Los Angeles Lakers star has reviewed game film before and after games, per A. Sherrod Blakely of CSN.

The help began after Game 2 of the first-round series against the Chicago Bulls with the Celtics down 0-2. Boston won the next six games, including the first two against the Washington Wizards.

According to Bryant, Thomas is just one of the many stars who ask him for advice. Fellow All-Stars Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Gordon Hayward also talk regularly with the Black Mamba.

"I'm around for all the guys," he said. "Anybody can reach out. It's an open book."

Bryant retired at the end of the 2015-16 season, but the 18-time All-Star and five-time NBA champion is clearly still making an impact on the NBA playoffs.

LOS ANGELES — One week from now, "Lakers 2.0," as new general manager Rob Pelinka calls it, will be roaring forward with a new level of optimization and the guarantee of enhanced content in the form of a top-three draft pick…or it won't.

Either the Lakers will start locking in on UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball, Washington point guard Markelle Fultz, Kansas forward Josh Jackson and under-the-radar Kentucky point guard De'Aaron Fox—the four players they are most considering in the top three, according to league sources—or they won't.

Pelinka's smarts, Magic Johnson's leadership and Luke Walton's affability won't have anything to do with which way it goes next Tuesday during the NBA draft lottery. It all comes down to luck.

There is a 46.9 percent chance the pingpong balls bounce their way and the Lakers select in the top three. Statistically, however, the more likely scenario is that they fall outside of the top three, in which case the pick will go to the Philadelphia 76ers as a result of the Lakers' 2012 Steve Nash acquisition. (The Suns later traded L.A.'s first-rounder to Philly.)

As uninspiring as it is to ascribe our successes or failures in life to pure luck, it's impossible to ignore the element of randomness as Pelinka, Johnson and Walton attend their first NBA Draft Combine together this week in Chicago. The Lakers' eagerness to get to know Fultz and Fox, who are scheduled to be there—Ball and Jackson are passing it up—will be moot if the organization doesn't keep its pick.

For now, there is nothing the Lakers can do but plan for the best.

And at the moment, their best-case scenario is landing one of the aforementioned college freshmen, with no qualms if they can't move up to No. 1 or No. 2 overall.

With the third-worst record in the NBA last season, the Lakers are believed to be open-minded to the possibility that Jackson or Fox could be an even better choice than one of the current consensus top two, Ball or Fultz.

As neat of a match as it would be for high-profile local product Ball to land with the Lakers, as he and his father are publicly pining to happen, the Lakers have not put Ball on a pedestal as their potential savior, according to sources. He is a strong contender to be at the top of their list after all of the workouts are done (assuming they keep their pick), as his court vision impresses them a lot more than his father's presence scares them. But Fultz also is a tantalizing option, as is the upside Jackson and Fox each offer.

Jackson, who many mock drafters project to go third overall, is a defensive dynamo who might lack the shot-creation skills to become a star. But he may also be a better fit alongside D'Angelo Russell and Brandon Ingram than another point guard, although the possibility of a trade for high-end, established NBA talent also increases dramatically if the Lakers have that top-three pick in hand.

Fox's presence in the Lakers' current top four might be the most surprising, as some view him as closer to the bottom of the top 10, especially with Ball and Fultz also filling point guard roles.

Fox ranks behind no one, however, when it comes to speed and athleticism. His explosiveness would be a fascinating complement to Russell's craftiness and Ingram's length.

At 6'4" with defensive tenacity, Fox projects as a valuable weapon at both ends, with the ability to go from one baseline to the other in a John Wall-like blink. He has to improve his perimeter shot, but his mechanics are solid, and he outscored Ball 39-10 during Kentucky's Sweet 16 elimination of UCLA (with Johnson and Pelinka in attendance).

Fox's passion for the game is one fundamental piece of his puzzle, and such intangibles will be what the Lakers try to pin down through individual meetings and workouts.

At lottery time two years ago, the Lakers might've leaned toward Jahlil Okafor over Russell just from their respective college play, but the predraft process provided clarity. Much more information will be coming again this year.

For now, though, the Lakers are just hoping they get to pick, and they're keeping an open mind as to whether Ball, Fultz, Jackson or Fox will be the best of the bunch.

 

Kevin Ding is an NBA senior writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @KevinDing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YngkrG-eaIE

A year after Kobe Bryant concluded his NBA career, Bryant and Nike have announced a partnership to establish a youth basketball program in Los Angeles. 

The Mamba League will instruct boys and girls aged 8-to-10 using a lower hoop, which the former Los Angeles Lakers star said will help them focus on technique and build confidence.

Citing a "play, learn, grow" league mantra, he espoused the importance of a "patient process" when teaching young players.

"I like seeing kids get better," Bryant said in the video. "I like seeing the light go on where they're like, 'OK, I couldn't do this last week, but now I can.' It's almost like watching magic slowly develop in front of your eyes."

Bryant has frequently criticized AAU basketball for not teaching kids proper fundamentals. Last year, per ESPN.com's Baxter Holmes, he called it "absolutely horrible for the game."

"I think we're doing a tremendous disservice to our young basketball players right now," Bryant told Holmes in January 2016. "That's something that definitely needs to be fixed, and it's going to definitely be one of the things that I focus on."

Now retired, he's acting on those concerns by implementing his preferred teaching methods in four Los Angeles neighborhoods.

[Nike, h/t Fox Sports' Brett Pollakoff]

"Mamba out."

As last lines go, this falls somewhere between "Rosebud" and whatever the last line of Ghost in the Shell was. Like Kobe Bryant's trademark playing style, it seemed to be both totally extemporaneous and meticulously planned.

Everything about Kobe's last season felt like it was being stage-managed by a director just slightly out of sight, but nothing was more reminiscent of a movie than his final game, which celebrates its first anniversary Thursday.

Only one year removed from Kobe's finale, it already can lay claim to the honor of being the most monumental, historically relevant late-season throwaway game in NBA history.

LakersNation.com reporter Serena Winters followed the team throughout that season and witnessed the strange combination of celebration and agony up close. "It was odd because the Lakers were so terrible. So, you're watching all of these meaningless games, but Kobe is putting meaning into them," she said. "When Kobe's on the floor, it meant something."

On April 13, 2016, the area around Staples Center and the L.A. Live entertainment complex was buzzing for hours before anyone took the court. It was a Dodgers Opening Day, a Rams tailgate and Disneyland all rolled into one oversized package. People just wanted to be there, even if they didn't have a ticket.

"The morning of the game, you could already feel it," former Bryant teammate and current Lakers associate coach Brian Shaw said. The front office invited him to watch in the stands, along with fellow ex-Lakers like Gary Payton and Horace Grant. "There was a line of people down the street and around the corner, waiting for the store to open up so they could buy all the Kobe gear," Shaw said.

"It was almost like an atmosphere of a Game 7 of the Finals."

The Lakers' team store was completely overrun with merchandise bearing the name and likeness of Kobe Bryant, so if you wanted, say, a Tarik Black T-shirt, you would have to come back the next day. Or the day after that.

Rows and rows of shelf space were crowded with leather hats that retailed for over $100 and jerseys that fetched close to $500. By the end of the night, those same shelves were bare. All I could scrounge up was a pair of Kobe Bryant socks that I'm still too afraid to wear for fear of ripping my only keepsake of the evening.

While fans were devouring all the memorabilia they could afford without taking out another mortgage on their house, Bryant and the Lakers were prepping for the Utah Jazz. According to Lakers forward Julius Randle, Kobe treated the day like any other.

Among the team, no one imagined he'd reach such lofty scoring heights as he would later that night. "I didn't think 60 [points]," Randle said. "I had a bet with him before the game that he'd get at least 40 shots. He took 50 or something like that."

The Jazz went into the game hoping to secure the eighth and final playoff berth in the Western Conference, meaning they cared little for the spectacle of the Mamba's NBA exit.

"We didn't have the plan of letting him score 60 points or anything like that," Jazz guard Joe Ingles said. "At the time, we were pissed. We wanted to win the game. To go out like that, it's like 'What are we doing? This is stupid.'"

Although those in attendance and fans watching at home already knew the Houston Rockets had secured the eighth playoff seed before tipoff, Jazz players didn't learn they'd been eliminated until halftime. The Jazz had to play another half of basketball, but now, instead of fighting to extend their season, they'd merely be the antagonist in someone else's story.

"You're carrying that disappointment," Jazz assistant coach Alex Jensen said. "Now you've gotta go be a part of that show."

The blow of missing out on the postseason faded once it became clear that history was about to be made. Kobe struggled early, missing his first five shots of the contest, an inauspicious way to go into such a big game. But those who know him never had a doubt he'd put it together.

"Once one goes in, we know he's not gonna stop shooting," Shaw recalls telling Grant and Payton in the stands. He certainly didn't stop, racking up 10 more shots than the 40 Randle had predicted. Even after the initial flurry of offense, expectations in the arena remained reasonable.

"When he got 20, I thought, 'Oh, he might get 35 tonight.' But then it kept going up and up," longtime Laker Metta World Peace said.

Besides the gaudy point total for Kobe, what people seem to remember most from that game was the noise. If the atmosphere was like a Game 7 before tipoff, it was just as loud, if not louder, during the game.

"I'd compare it to a World Cup, where you're all in the room cheering for like, the U.S., so you're all in it for one cause," Winters said. "To have every single person in that arena there for one purpose only. Every single person in that arena is cheering for Kobe."

It wasn't until Kobe hit 40 points around the third quarter that people started asking the question of how far he could go. To that point, I divided my time in the press area high above the court between watching the game unfold in front of me and checking in on the Warriors' pursuit of 73 wins. Only the fickle basketball gods would be so cruel as to put those two games on at the same time.

Once Kobe cracked 40, though, it was time to put the Warriors game away.

There was no way you could avoid the 20,000 strong in Staples Center willing Bryant to another basket. And another. And another. "You felt the people who were outside," Winters recalled. "You felt the people watching through their TV screens."

Finally, 60—a point total Bryant had been intimately familiar with as a younger player but hadn't seen since 2009. For the latter stages of his career, the will was still alive, but his body refused to cooperate. On this final night, he was somehow able to be Kobe Bryant one more time.

When it was all over, he gave his speech, declared that he was definitely out and commenced celebrating a career well done. For a player who made a name for himself as an aloof, cerebral assassin on the court, Bryant looked positively giddy.

Until that moment, there'd never been a time when he could let go of the need to be the villain and accept a hero's welcome. He'd always been polarizing, from his first day in the league to his last second. In that arena, though, he could finally be the hero without reservation.

"To have everybody love you in that moment, you could tell that he felt it," Winters said. "It was like, 'Oh s--t, Kobe's human.'"

As was customary after a Lakers game that season, the opposing team broke implicit NBA protocol and lined up to greet Bryant, offer words of thanks and maybe get some sneakers signed. As Ingles remembers it, most of the Jazz got their shoes signed by Bryant, though not everyone waited until the last game.

Thanks to a friendship with Lakers guard Marcelo Huertas, Ingles was able to get a shoe to Kobe after a Lakers-Jazz game in Utah two weeks prior. "If you get a second with him, quickly get him," he told Huertas, who got the black Nikes in front of the Mamba without having to wait for an official audience.

On the subject of being the team that will be remembered as the one that lost in Kobe's last game, Ingles and the Jazz seem way more Zen about it a year later.

"Looking back now, make the playoffs or not, it is what it is, but to be a part of that, get your shoes signed by him after the game, have some conversations within our team about it, it was a really cool thing to be a part of," Ingles said.

That's what that game did for everyone who was there, from the players to the media to Lakers employees and fans. Everything else was secondary to making your memories of the night last forever.

"You look over and see J.A. Adande stand up and Bill Plaschke with his mouth wide-open, and then you're standing up because you just can't help it," Winters remembered about the two journalists who have covered the Lakers for years. "It was just one of the most amazing experiences."

In the locker room, Kobe would receive a champagne bath courtesy of World Peace, Brandon Bass and Lou Williams—the veteran core of a young Lakers team. At first, Kobe resisted being doused in a celebratory booze shower. After all, champagne is for championships, not for old guys retiring, but World Peace persisted until he got Bryant to give in.

"It's a legendary night, and he's getting champagne," he said. "It's over. We don't care what he says."

Winters, a Lakers fan who grew up in Southern California and interned with the team before she started her current job, got to ask the last question in Kobe's final press conference as an NBA player. She also got to do the unthinkable for most basketball journalists: She hugged Kobe Bryant.

As Winters was doing her final on-court video piece of the night, Bryant approached her from the other side of the arena floor, which he had just finished signing for a charity auction.

"I went to go put my hand out for a handshake, to be professional, because that's what I do. He looks at me with this face like, 'Are you kidding me? A handshake?' He goes 'Come here' and he gives me a hug. As a media member, I'm not going to go hug Kobe, but it tells you what a moment that is."

The Los Angeles Clippers already know they will play the Utah Jazz in the first round of the postseason, and they took a critical step toward clinching home-court advantage Monday with a straightforward 125-96 victory over the Houston Rockets. 

The win was Los Angeles' sixth in a row and first in three tries against the Rockets this season.

Chris Paul spearheaded a balanced attack that outscored the Rockets by 24 points in the third quarter to seize command of the contest and also included a DeAndre Jordan double-double:

Player	Points	Rebounds	Assists	Steals	Field Goals
Chris Paul	19	5	9	4	5-of-12
DeAndre Jordan	14	11	2	0	6-of-9
Blake Griffin	18	8	2	0	6-of-11
Luc Mbah a Moute	15	2	3	2	6-of-8

Los Angeles is now 50-31 and still tied with the Jazz for the No. 4 seed after the latter beat the Golden State Warriors on Monday. The Clippers own the head-to-head tiebreaker and can clinch said home-court advantage with a home win over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.

They will have the franchise's winningest head coach leading the way against the Kings thanks to Monday's triumph, as the team shared:

🔝 of the list. Congrats, @DocRivers! #LACMilestone pic.twitter.com/0aTyyo5IAZ

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) April 11, 2017

Houston dropped to 54-27 and is locked in at the No. 3 seed. 

James Harden didn't add a dazzling night to his MVP campaign, going just 2-of-9 from the field and 1-of-6 from three-point range with five turnovers. He did threaten a triple-double, however, with 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists in just 24 minutes. 

Harden was playing shorthanded with Lou Williams, Nene Hilario, Clint Capela and Patrick Beverley all out for Rockets. Eric Gordon (17 points and five rebounds) and Montrezl Harrell (15 points and 13 rebounds) did what they could, but the Rockets were outmatched.

Defense was apparently optional out of the gates, as each team poured in 35 points in the first quarter. Harden appeared well on his way to a double-double with 10 points and six assists, while Paul and Luc Mbah a Moute were also in double figures on the other side in the first 12 minutes.

Paul did his best to match Harden as an early floor general:

After Q1 on @NBAonTNT: CP3 has 12/3/4. Harden: 10/2/6.@LAClippers and @HoustonRockets tied 35-35. pic.twitter.com/CMo2Q5Lake

— NBA (@NBA) April 11, 2017

The high-scoring pace slowed before Los Angeles took a 61-57 lead into intermission. The Staples Center crowd didn't miss an opportunity to needle Harden—who picked up his fourth foul in the second quarter—as the Clippers built their halftime advantage, per Calvin Watkins of ESPN:

We had a late Russell Westbrook chant as Harden was taking foul shots.

— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) April 11, 2017

The facade of a close game quickly ended in the third quarter when Houston started 1-of-12 as the Clippers' lead ballooned to more than 20. The home team lived up to its Lob City moniker during its extended run:

In all, Los Angeles outscored the Rockets 36-12 in the third, which gave it a 97-69 advantage and complete control of the contest heading into the final 12 minutes. 

Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle weighed in on the proceedings:

Rockets look like they would just like to get on the plane.

— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) April 11, 2017

The Rockets had to wait for the end of the game to board the plane home, but at least Harden didn't have to exert much energy on the bench with the game well in hand for Los Angeles. 

Houston never threatened down the stretch with many of the regulars watching the finish. The emptying of the benches gave Paul Pierce the opportunity to make history with a late basket, as the NBA noted:

Congrats to @paulpierce34 of the @LAClippers on passing John Havlicek (26,395 points) for 15th on the #NBA All-Time Scoring List! pic.twitter.com/LzFo73hRTs

— NBA (@NBA) April 11, 2017

Attention now turns to the regular-season finales.

The Rockets will face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday in what is essentially a meaningless game for them, but Los Angeles' contest against the Kings will prove critical. A win clinches home-court advantage in the first round, but a Utah loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday would also do the trick.

          

Postgame Reaction

Rivers looked ahead to Wednesday after the contest, per Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times: "We're coming just to play. Let's just take care of ourselves. We're going to come out and try and win the game. If we take care of our business, it doesn't matter what Utah does."

He also reflected on his team's third-quarter dominance, per Turner: "I called a time out early in the third quarter and after that I thought we just kind of turned it on. So I liked that we had the ability to do that."

On the other side, Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni called Monday's contest "hard" for some of his players because it was meaningless for Houston's playoff position, per Watkins.

With the MLB season just around the corner, which newcomers to the game will get a chance to make the biggest noise? 

Check it out above.

When wondering how I might die one day, the image typically involves my body being swallowed up by a mountain of empty pizza boxes or fast-food wrappers. Now, I'm forced to consider the notion of a 1,500-pound Shaquille O'Neal falling on my head.

On Friday, the Los Angeles Lakers and AEG will officially christen a statue commemorating the legacy of the Hall of Fame center in a ceremony in front of the Staples Center. The bronze recreation of O'Neal, designed by Omri Amrany and Julie Rotblatt-Amrany, joins statues of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, Oscar de la Hoya and Lakers announcer Chick Hearn in the arena courtyard across from the L.A. Live entertainment complex.

What sets the Shaq statue apart from the rest is its placement. Technically, it's not even in said courtyard. It's high above it, affixed to a ceiling and next to a window, with the Big Aristotle hanging post-dunk and wearing a grimace that Twitter has likened to the face of WWE Hall of Famer "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

So you can understand my trepidation about walking underneath a massive bronze Shaquille O'Neal in earthquake-prone Los Angeles.

Thank You Buss Family! #speechless pic.twitter.com/vkcKtKB7i6

— SHAQ (@SHAQ) March 22, 2017

Omri Amrany came up with the idea for suspending a statue above arenagoers 25 years ago, and Shaq ended up being the perfect person to make his vision come to life.

"When I talked to the Lakers management, the discussion was ... people want to touch Shaquille," Amrany told Bleacher Report over the phone from his home in Illinois. "I said, 'Yes, people want to touch Shaquille—but wouldn't it be stronger to have the quest to touch instead of (actually) touching?'"

Amrany also designed all the other statues at Staples, plus the Wilt Chamberlain piece in Philadelphia, and, most famously, the iconic Michael Jordan statue in front of the United Center. His aim in all of these projects was to capture the essence of the player and to preserve it for all time.

"Kareem is known for the hook shot, Jerry [West] is known for the moves and Magic was known for the coordination and capability. Michael Jordan was known for the spread eagle," he said. "When we did Wilt Chamberlain in Philadelphia, we emphasized the dunking. Everybody had their niche. Shaquille is very well known for the slam and hanging by the rim. How do you do it without touching the ground? That was the question from the beginning."

The bronze Shaq is nine feet tall, and according to Amrany, 1,500 pounds, though the official Lakers press release lists it as 1,200. But what's 300 pounds? To me, that says that if the bronze Diesel fell on me, I might die a little slower.

It will sit 10 feet off the ground, which means unless you are as tall as Shaq, or at least have something resembling an NBA vertical leap, you'll never be able to touch it. This is a drastic departure from the Chick Hearn piece—a recreation of the play-by-play man at the announcer's table calling a game. There's even a second seat for you to sit down and pose for photos.

"Julie and I worked to create Chick Hearn, knowing that the Lakers would have to routinely maintain the table and the chair. It's like the nose of Lincoln or some pieces of bronze of a sculpture in Europe, because people always touch it for luck. So here, the chair and the table and part of the shoulders are always abused by people—and I would say 'abused' in a positive way—who want to take photographs."

For Amrany, Shaq had to be different. He had to be unattainable.

"I feel [with the Shaq statue] that instead of the touching and hugging, it's the desire," he said. "I wouldn't be surprised if people spent their time jumping, trying to touch it, which is OK, you know? It's part of how people use contemporary art today—the interaction with the public."

But, quite frankly, I'm more concerned with it interacting with my head. I have to ask him, is it safe?

"We worked with three different engineers to engineer this piece that will be safe and sound and strong. Second, we're working with a group of very good California welders from Burbank, who are working with AEG behind the scenes to make sure everything is strong."

I'm not aware of Burbank welders having an international reputation for craftsmanship, but I'm trying to give them the benefit of the doubt.

"I requested a payload of 10,000 pounds strength. That's 10 times more than other pieces," he continued.

That's better. Nothing calms me down like math.

The Shaq statue is Amrany's most ambitious, most nerve-racking piece yet, but he's hard at work on his next project—a 50-foot tall likeness of Johnny Cash to be erected in Folsom, California.

"We did Napoleon Dynamite for 20th Century Fox [in 2014]," he said. "We're working with cities like Folsom. We're working with memorial organizations, tributes for different cases, and, of course, with the sport."

Part of why Amrany is so in demand is the vaunted place statues hold in the cultural psyche. Sure, the dangling Shaq statue is terrifying to me, but for most fans, these works of art inspire awe and respect. It's, as Amrany suggested, an opportunity for average people to reach out and interact with something they deem greater than themselves. Sure, it's also a bit of idol worship, but that's just part of the human condition. We crave heroes, figures of esteem responsible for feats beyond our wildest dreams.

Some people might disagree, but the sports statue is an intrinsic part of a franchise's identity and means something to the average fan who throws down hundreds of dollars to be a part of the action. When the real people are gone, like Chick Hearn, these statues give us the chance to remember what we loved about them.

In a way, my own nervous feelings about Shaq squashing me are how I will choose to remember his playing days. He was a fearsome, unstoppable scoring machine whose size and speed were unmatched. Amrany's job is to sort out how to make a statue as memorable as the subject it's based on.

"I think that what makes something memorable is if in 200 years," he said, "people look back and say it was the right thing to do for its time."

If you're reading this 200 years in the future, shoot us a tweet and let us know.

LOS ANGELES — DeAndre Jordan stood alone in the paint at Staples Center, as usual, serving as the last line of defense while the Los Angeles Clippers shot free throws at the other end.

Then he heard it.

Rising up from behind him in his home arena, deep from under the area where Doc Rivers placed massive posters of Jordan and his teammates to smother the Lakers' championship banners, was a collective chant that prompted Jordan to turn toward the fans with a disbelieving look.

His wide eyes revealed dismay, but mostly disgust, at what he heard.

"We want LeBron!"

Is this what everything has come to?

How deep had this Clippers team dug to transform the franchise from the utter embarrassment and laughingstock of Donald Sterling? Wasn't it now presumed as one of the best teams in the league year after year? And what about Jordan's own decision to turn away from the personal glory promised him in Dallas by Mark Cuban to stick with the Clippers—and build himself up into a first-team All-NBA selection and an NBA All-Star?

And still, what has truly changed?

Last Saturday wasn't just about James sitting out. It was a jolting reminder how visiting players still scoff at the Clippers' lack of a home-court advantage, how it has always been the spot for opposing fans to know they can score great seats to see their guys.

The Clippers pretty much still feel like the Clippers, even though so much great progress should be happening.

Jordan has made himself into a star to join Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, the guys owner Steve Ballmer told Bleacher Report in 2014 were perhaps two of the five best players in the world. The Clippers have the sort of continuity that it'll take Kevin Durant's Golden State Warriors years to develop. They have every reason to be hungrier for a title than James' Cavaliers or anyone else.

How can it be getting worse, not better?

How is it that this might become really bad?

The simple answer is that both Paul and Griffin can leave as free agents this summer. That would be that.

The possibility both stars bolt, however, is unlikely considering how vastly superior the current situation is set up for Paul to stay than to leave, including an extra year of max money via the clause CP, as union president, helped negotiate into the new collective bargaining agreement.    

Still, it's not exactly a dream world if Paul stays, either. Given how often he gets hurt and how much he is reasonably expected to slow down in his mid-30s—he turns 32 in May—his max salary will probably wind up being an albatross for the franchise.

That Griffin would also stay and reap the biggest payday he can seems likely, too—in theory. But more and more people around the league believe he would be open to a fresh start—perhaps with the Lakers or the Boston Celtics, who have coveted Griffin for years and would offer a new chance to win. The most intriguing fit might be if he were to go home to Oklahoma to join Russell Westbrook and the Thunder, but his interests in the entertainment industry make staying in Los Angeles a priority.

In their sixth year together, continuity hasn't led to consistency, with everything undercut somewhat by injuries (again) to both players this season; Griffin and Paul have played only 40 of 72 games together. They're getting along fine, often communicating via shorthand midmove with a quick finger point or head nod, but the Clippers sit fifth in the Western Conference.

From all outward appearances, Griffin and Paul do share a chemistry of sorts. Take Tuesday night during halftime warm-ups when, as Paul's seven-year-old son tried to guard his dad at the top of the key, Griffin sneaked up to set a pick on the boy and spring his teammate happily to nail a three-pointer on his son. It was the sort of joyful spirit that the Clippers rarely bring out of each other in games.

"One thing you can control always is effort," Griffin said. "Our effort hasn't been there at times as a team. Haven't had trust. I think that's something we talked about a lot early in the season: the trust. Knowing the next man's going to be there for you, knowing you've got to be there for whoever goes next. I think we miss that."

The greatest indictment against the Griffin-Paul connection is that it hasn't inspired better teamwide cohesion. There was a stretch when Paul was out that Jordan wasn't thrilled with how little he got the ball from Griffin, either. In time, the high-low passing game has improved. And while Griffin and Jordan, both 28, have long been close, they've drifted apart some this season as both have become busy with young children.

Jordan has butted heads with Paul plenty of times, too, but the center's improvement on the court has helped build a mutual respect between the two. Still, one team source said Paul's hard-driving nature and politician's polish mean "nobody's really friends with Chris."

Another source said the point guard is much closer to Doc Rivers than any of his teammates. That's one intangible explanation for Paul not getting the Clippers past the playoffs' second round a single time. We're talking about a guy ranked as the sport's third-greatest player behind Michael Jordan and James, according to the "Box Plus/Minus" advanced metric that Basketball Reference tracks back to 1973.

If Paul and Griffin stay this summer, there's a school of thought that the Clippers' best option to change the mix is to trade Jordan, as his value has never been higher while the team's need for a top two-way wing player continues to be glaring. Even that isn't so easily done, though, as Jordan can opt out of his contract after next season—meaning his willingness to stay somewhere he gets traded is a factor in any deal.

The Clippers otherwise don't have much to offer considering Rivers has boxed in the club with its other contracts and cast away first-round picks in past trades. Rivers dismissed an ESPN report that he might be eyeing a return to the Orlando Magic, but Ballmer also has to judge the coach's fate. Portland Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen, Ballmer's close friend, told him from the outset it was unwise to give the same man control as both president and head coach.

If Griffin (and perhaps J.J. Redick, also a free agent) leaves this summer, maybe the formula tilts further toward Paul with guys he does consider friends in veterans Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony, if the Clippers can get Anthony to leave New York in trade. But the overly orchestrated way the Clippers play now—"Lob City" seems forever ago with how much less athletic the team has gotten—is already an issue.

The public-address announcer at Clippers games far too often celebrates a bucket by crediting so-and-so "with the move!" because too much of the team's improvisation comes from individual talent and solo forays as opposed to movement.

None of the issues surrounding L.A. are exactly disastrous, but there's too much that is only OK.

The side eyes toward Jamal Crawford and Redick for blown defensive rotations are growing more frequent, but those guys make shots and are earnest teammates. The in-house resentment toward Austin Rivers being favored as Doc's son, according to team sources, still very much exists, but it isn't out of control.

Griffin, Jordan and Paul all work hard and have a lot of positive aspects to their personalities, but their legacy together is shaping up to be lifting the Clippers from terrible to OK.

The lasting memory for now is blowing a trip to the 2015 Western Conference Finals to a Houston Rockets team whose stars weren’t even OK with each other.

This spring doesn't promise a good chance to create a new storyline. A deep playoff run this season looks like it would require upsetting the Warriors in the second round. Even as Rivers talks big about being able to beat anyone, he adds a caveat given how overwhelmed the Clippers have looked against Golden State in recent seasons.

Paul, of course, is still grinding with that hope. He said he doesn't even know what the team's record is from day to day; he just wants to work to find its best rhythm together.

And that has been the story of the Clippers ever since he arrived—CP pushing and pushing and pushing himself and everyone for excellence…to no avail.

Well, people get tired of pushing, too.

That makes it even harder to move forward together now.

Kevin Ding is an NBA senior writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @KevinDing.